What it really means to be a hero
by animeblackangel
Summary: Alfred F. Jones, police officer, always thought he had a good grip on what it means to be good and evil, but that all changes when he goes to a robbery at the bank and meets a certain thief that will change his life forever. UKUS YOAI! (boy's love) Don't like don't read. Rated high Teen. Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, or other things mentioned. (except the plot line)
1. Intro: The hero meets the Villain

**A/n: I decided yesterday that I wanted to start a new story, and here it is! I was so compelled to write this I wrote it in a few hours (but its still good XD) What's weird is, the only thing that gave me the idea was my sister wearing a mask! you know i'm probably boring you so you can go ahead and read now :D**

Some people in the world think they know what is right and wrong, what justice truly is. How some people think an eye for an eye, some say to not turn to violence even under the worst circumstances. But do people really know what is good and what is not, what good and evil really is?

Some of us humans think they know how the world should work, but do they really? A man with the name of Alfred F. Jones, ever since he was small, thinks he has a good grip on good and bad. That good should be allowed to be free and the evil should be punished for their horrible deeds that they cause. With this sort of belief, this caused him to want, and work as a police officer. Stopping crime and saving the world as a hero to everyone who needed it.

To him he thought that he had it all figured out, that was, until he met a certain blond that would soon change the life as he knows it, forever…

~.~.~.~UKUS~.~.~.~

"Officer Jones, reporting for duty!" A bright blue eyed man said with a big smile that always seemed to adorn his face at all times.

"Alfred, you do know that your ten minutes late right? How many times do I have to tell you to be here, I can't always save you from the wrath of chief Ivan. I'm telling you he's going to go off on you sooner or later, he already doesn't like you…" Alfred's fellow worker and friend, Toris stated matter of factly. Ever since Alfred has started working on the force, he and the chief, Ivan, never truly got along. Ivan would always yell at him when he did something that would annoy the silver headed man, though Alfred always seemed like he couldn't careless.

"Oh come on Tory, you know he's not going to do anything. I am the best officer they have here!" He said with a cheeky grin on his face. Toris just shook his head in the negative at how Alfred thought. Even though he is the best they got, Ivan would soon lose his patience and fire him. He just wished he would get that through his thick head.

"Alfred you still don't understand Ivan-"

"What about Ivan, da?" the purple eyed blond asked, approaching the two with a happy (almost evil) smile planted on his face.

"O-oh chief Ivan, I was just telling Alfred here about his job today that you told me to tell him, t-that's all." Toris said, looking as though he was going to pass out from fear just looking at Ivan, he was even shaking!

"Yeah dude, were just trying to get to work here. Now if you'll excuse us we should really be getting on with that." Alfred said trying to turn away before Ivan stopped him with a question,

"Oh really? Could you tell me what your about to do, just to make sure you got everything and Toris didn't miss any details, of course." Ivan said sweetly with a small smile on his face, though his eyes were narrowed a little.

_Damn, wasn't expecting that…_

"W-well of course we were going to…" Alfred paused trying to think of something to say so he wouldn't piss off his boss. He looked back at Toris who was behind the Russian now, and for some reason he was holding up his hands, looking like he was steering an invisible wheel…Oh!

"We were going to go patrol the streets of course! You know, look for some nasty villains that would want to do anything against the law and all that." He said with an awkward laugh following soon after. Ivan opened his eyes back all the way so they weren't narrowed any more, and just kept the sweet (evil) smile. (though he did look a bit shocked)

"Ah it seems you do know what your doing, how uncharacteristic of you… well you should hurry up before any thing does happen. Now if you'll excuse me." With that the chief turned his back to Alfred and nodded once to Toris before he started to walk off in the other direction.

Alfred stuck his tongue at his chief, not really liking the mans comments. He was so always on his work (well sometimes…) "You know instead of sticking your tongue at me like a child, you could be heading off right now. I would advise you to get on it right away before I demote you to doughnut boy." Ivan said, not even turning around to look the blond in the eyes. Though his voice sounded cold as ice.

Alfred's eyes widened in shock and his mouth hung open slightly. _How the hell did he-!_

"C-come on Alfred, we really should be going." Toris said, dragging the shocked blond away to the car.

"Can you even believe that bastard! How could he even see me with his back turned! I swear, he's a demon or something,"

"That, or he has eyes in the back of his head…"

"You really think so! He totally could have been up ducted by aliens!" Alfred said, his eyes glittering in excitement from the prospect of his boss being a test subject for aliens. Serves_ him right…_

"I doubt that Alfred, you really need to stop watching those movies of your…" Toris sighed, Alfred always asked childish. Alfred and Toris has always been friends since they were about ten years of age. They always hung out together through out school. Ever since Alfred saw Toris being picked on by some other kids from school, of course he went to help him and that's all she wrote. They've been friends ever since.

"I still think there's something freaky about him…" Alfred said with a pout on his face looking down at his feet on the floor board.

"There's something freaky about him, that's for sure." The brunet said with a smile on his face. Though he couldn't get the feeling out of his head that some how Ivan will find out about this little conversation, even though that would be impossible, he hoped.

The two officers were driving down the road slowly, Toris thinking and just focusing on the road, and Alfred bored out of his mind. That is he was bored, until there radio received a message from some other officers.

"Attention, anyone near the new York city bank needs to head down there immediately. There's currently a robbery going down. Again robbery at new York city bank!" the urgent voice said, causing Alfred to quickly look out the window, checking to see were they were.

"Toris were near the bank! Kick on the lights and lets get this baby going, I'll tell the others we've got it." Alfred ordered the other. Toris nodded and turned on the sirens speeding up the vehicle. Alfred quickly picked up the radio. "This is officer Jones, me and my partner are going to get the bank, you all can rest easy, the hero has this. Over and out."

When Alfred and Toris arrived at the bank, he could see people on the floor with their hands held up in the air. Alfred and Toris nodded to each other, and loaded their guns and quickly got out of the car.

They both got on either side of the door and looked through the glass doors of the bank They could see there was only about eleven people inside, or at least that many were up front. Alfred tried to look for the burglar, but didn't see what looked like a suspect. Alfred flicked his head toward the doors, signaling that they were going to head inside and stop the villain. The brunette nodded in agreement and they both quickly went through the doors.

"Alright, police are here! The one whose trying to jack off the place come out with your hands up, and you won't get hurt. Lets end this on a good note." Alfred yelled, causing the others in the bank to look back with scared eyes. Soon after seeing who came, some let out a breath of relief, finally having someone to stop this whole mess.

About a few seconds later, a blond came out from the back of the bank holding a bag that most likely had the stolen money in it. The man had a smirk on his face, but didn't look intimidated in the least. The burglar looked like one you would see off a movie. He had on all black attire. There was a black cape around his shoulders, with a black shirt to match. The blond also had on tight black jeans with knee high boots. And it all was finished with a black mask on his face concealing his face. (but only covered his eyes)

Alfred was practically drooling once he'd seen the man. The clothes weren't really the only thing that he liked on the man. (but that was a big part, don't get him wrong.) What he loved was his green eyes that were behind the mask.

Shaking his head away from those thoughts, quickly cursing himself for thinking that about the thief. He lifted back up his gun that he didn't even realize he had lowered.

"Alright put your hands up were I can see them now, or I'll shoot!" Alfred said trying to sound intimidating, but didn't really work since the blond burglar's grin just seemed to widen.

"Huh, so this is the people they send to come and arrest me? I have to say I'm not impressed…" The green eyed man said looking Alfred up and down, causing said man to blush slightly.

_My god, he even has an accent! Alfred shivered once hearing that delightful voice. Though after a second he realized that he had just thought something bad again. He frowned and shook his head violently getting his head back on track, making Toris look at him with worry._

"_I'm serious, stick you hands up!" Alfred tried again, though this only seemed to amuse the other even more._

"_And what makes you think I would listen to you?" The man said tilting his head slightly in question, a glint coming to his eyes._

"_Oh I don't know maybe because I'm the one who has a gun, and your completely helpless? I think that is a pretty damn good reason." Alfred growled slowly becoming agitated by the others cockyness._

"_Oh I wouldn't say I'm completely helpless, love. I could get out of here any time I would like. I'm just entertaining myself." He said with mockery in his voice, causing Alfred's face to get red, and not just from embarrassment this time._

"_Face it, we have you, now if you would please come up here for I could put the cuffs on you, we can be on our way."_

"_Oh handcuffs? I had no idea you were that kinky, though in other circumstances I wouldn't really mind." He purred with a smirk, causing Alfred to have a small shiver run down his spin again. He quickly tried to shake it off again trying, and failing to get his act together. _

"_Alright, sir step forward and come quietly. We don't want to have to use force." Toris said, trying to help out his other officer._

"_You know I think I wasted to much time here. If we are all done discussing, I'll be on my way." And with that the blond quickly winked at Alfred and pulled out a graveling hook and aimed at the ceiling. He shot the hook and brook through the glass ceiling, the device quickly pulling him up. Toris tried to shoot him and get him from getting away from them, but missed. Soon the blond man was out of sight, he just got away…_

_Alfred was still just looking up shocked at what had just happened. He had just let a thief run away because of his incompetence._

**A/n: so did you guys like it, love it? I just love iggy's costume though :3 I hope you all do to! based on your guys reviews i'll update if you guys seem to like it. (well, i'll update anyways, but ill do it faster based on the reviews)**

**And I have one more important message for you all:**

**A message from dracohalo117 and Leaf Ranger...SOPA is back, that is right people, the bill that is threatening to take away our freedoms on the internet and beyond is BACK, and not only is it back, but it is trying to be passed quietly so nobody notices, SOPA will guarantee that anybody who streams a video, whether it be on youtube, a walkthrough for a video game, or a kid singing a song that is 'copyrighted' they will be treated as a felon, that is right, a FELON, do you understand me? YOU will be treated like the highest form of criminal for uploading a video game walkthrough on youtube, for singing a song on karaoke, hell, you could be arrested and treated as a felon for posting a screenshot...**

Now, why am I telling you this? Because this is only just the beginning, how long until Fanfiction is being attacked, how long until a fanfiction writer is being carted off to a maximum state prison for writing a character from Naruto into their fanfic, or a character from Bleach, or a character fro Sekirei or Seikon no Qwaser, Highschool DxD, Trinity Blood, Witchblade, how long until THAT crap is happening? I assure you that if this passes, it will not be long, oh no, it will not be long at all, because once this passes, then ANYTHING goes, Fanfiction will be attacked for using canon characters in a fanon manner, authors will be arrested for writing a book whose main character has glasses, just like in another series, artists will be arrested and confined for using sapphire blue in the iris of one of their characters like another author. We CANNOT let this happen!

Don't believe us? Look at the links below, remove the spaces, see for yourself, and please, PLEASE spread the word and fight this assault on our freedoms, because this isn't just going to affect americans, oh no, it will affect EVERYBODY across the globe!

: / www . huffingtonpost 2013/08/07/unauthorized-streaming-felony_n_3720479 . html

: / www . washingtonpost blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/05/sopa-died-in-2012-b ut-obama-administration-wants-to-revive-part-of-it /

: / www . techdirt articles/20130805/12472124074/administration-cant- let-go-wants-to-bring-back-felony-streaming-provis ions-sopa . shtml

and the video which caused us to find out about this horrible thing...remove the spaces, and spread the word...

: / www . youtube watch?v=1fTt4K4Cae4

**Please spread this around for we can stop this tragedy!**

**That's all my messages for you till next time XD**


	2. A kiss goodbye

**A/n: Hello everyone and welcome to the second chapter of 'What it really means to be a hero!' Thanks for everyone who reviewed, favorite, or followed this story, it really makes a writer happy :D Well I won't take up anymore of you time carry on~**

"A-Alfred? Are you okay?" The two police officers were still at the scene of the crime, right after the masked man had escaped. Toris was looking at his partner with worried eyes. Ever since he had seen the man, he hasn't been acting himself…speaking of which he still hasn't answered Toris's question. Ever since the other had escaped from them he's just been dazed off, like in deep thought.

"Yoo-hoo, Earth to Alfred! Seriously what is wrong with you?" He asked waving his hand right in front of his face, finally getting his attention.

"H-huh, what did you say Toris?" Alfred finally turned his head away from the ceiling to look at him.

"Alfred, you have been acting weird ever since you've seen that man, what's wrong? Besides him flirting with you, which you get a lot of anyway, so that shouldn't be the problem…" Toris sighed. Alfred just turned his head away to look down to the polished floor of the bank.

The whole flirting thing wasn't really affecting him, what was is that he had let him get away. He should have been more focused, even if he was incredibly sexy…

Alfred shook his head again, soon glaring at the floor, mentally cursing himself in his mind. Why is this man, he doesn't even know, making him think and act this way! I mean he's seen a lot of hot men and women but he hasn't acted been this bad before…

"Alfred your going to your own world again. If you don't want to tell me what's bothering you that's fine, but we should really check to see if anyone is hurt, come on." Toris said waving a hand for him to follow, which he did.

They both went around asking people what had happened and if they were alright. None of them were hurt, except the body guards were unconscious, but not hurt badly. When they asked everyone what happened, the answer was the weird part of the whole situation.

They said once the man had arrived, he didn't even have a weapon with him. When Alfred then proceeded to ask how he stole from them, they said the man single handedly took out the guards with his bare hands, and they just let him take what he wanted., in fear that if they refused he would take it out on them as well. And right before the cops arrived the man had said that it was for a good cause, which just angered Alfred.

_He probably just wanted to spend it on himself, Yeah that's a great cause_, he thought bitterly.

After they went around asking if any one was hurt, they went to the back to see if there was any damage. When they went in the back they saw a man sitting in the floor by the vault. Alfred and Toris rushed to him to make sure he was alright.

"Sir, are you alright?" Alfred asked with worry in his voice.

The other man looked up at the officer and nodded his head slightly. "Y-yes I'm fine."

"What happened?" Toris asked, wanting to get as much information as he can from the man.

"Well you know about the robbery, I took the robber back to the vault, and he stole the money. You have to understand I didn't want any one to get hurt. So the only way I thought that he would leave us alone is if I just took him to what he wanted." The man talked quickly, Alfred could tell he was extremely nervous. The man probably thought he would get arrested for assisting a robbery. Ivan might have arrested him, but Alfred knew that the man was just thinking about the others who were in the bank.

"Hey calm down, your not in any trouble, it's not your fault. Were not going to arrest you or anything. Now do you know how much he stole from here?" he said trying to calm and reassure the other man, which seemed to work considering he stopped speaking so fast.

"W-well actually he didn't steal that much…I would say about, $500 give or take."

The two officer just looked shocked at the other man, usually when someone tried to rob a bank they steal as much as they can. The robber could of got two times that if he wanted to easily.

"R-really that's all he took. Did he say anything to you before he left?" Alfred asked trying to get over his shock about the small amount of money he stole.

"Well now that you mention it, right before you guys came in, he said that I shouldn't worry about what happens to the money, and that I should be happy that he came. But I have no idea why the man would say that after robbing a bank…"

"Hey Alfred, when you were asking around, did the people say something like that to you to?" Toris asked, looking towards the blond.

"Yes they did, but I just think he wanted to spend it on himself though. I don't see how robbing a bank could go to a good cause…" He said turning a small glare to the floor.

"Thank you sir for answering our questions." Toris said turning back to the man on the floor, helping him up. He quickly turned to Alfred after helping the man. "Now Alfred we better go report to chief Ivan, before he starts interrogating us."

Nodding in agreement, they started walking to the door and out to the car.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"How could you two have let him get away! Especially you Alfred, I thought you were the hero? You should have obtained him!" Ivan yelled at the two but mostly Alfred. This conversation has been going on for about ten minutes now, it seems Ivan didn't want to let this go, no matter how much Toris apologized.

"Really _sir_, it's not my fault! He had a fucking graveling hook! How do expect us to capture someone who goes in the air to escape just like spider man! Don't worry, we'll capture him if he tries anything again." Alfred said the last part to try and just get him to shut up. He's about to go off if he didn't just stop yelling at him.

Ivan grounded his teeth slightly on how he used the word 'sir'. "I should hope so, if this happens again you don't want to know what will happen to your job, got that?! Now dismissed." Ivan growled, finally letting them go. Alfred did a little cheer in his head at finally being able to get out of the clutches of his boss. He wasn't even really paying attention to Ivan's last threat, it wasn't like he was going to see That green eyed blond again.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

The next day of his work he wasn't paired with Toris today, instead he was with Ludwig. A strong blond that was _almost_ as good as him. They were off patrolling again, with Ludwig driving. Alfred said he would drive when they were first walking out to the car, but Ludwig quickly took the drivers seat. He said Alfred should never be lent the keys, because soon disaster would happen, which was totally a lie! He was the best driver they would ever meet.

They were just driving down the street like they usually do, not really making conversation. Alfred was just looking out the window like he usually does, that was the best way to calm his boredom slightly. What he wasn't expecting was to see was a certain blond he had seen two days ago on top of the building of an Applebee's. _No fucking way! I-is that really…_

"Ludwig! Look at the top of that Applebee's, do you see what I see!" he said pointing his finger wildly at the restaurant. Ludwig looked at him with a confused look before turning to look in the direction he was pointing. The German saw the man dressed in black descending into the building quickly, going through the ceiling door that was placed on top.

Ludwig's eyes widened and he quickly turned on the lights and turned around quickly, heading back towards the soon to be robbed building. Once they got there they hopped out of the car and saw a couple people run out. As if on cue the two ran in and saw that a lot of people looked shocked, they were watching behind the closed door to the kitchen. The two blonds listened carefully and they could hear distinctive yells coming from inside.

Alfred jogged into the kitchen to see the man he had only seen two days ago, black mask and all. The man was holding a big bag that he guessed had food inside. He saw the chiefs also looked scared out of their minds, they ran towards the door that Alfred was standing in front of and ran out, leaving the two alone in the room.

The green eyed blond turned around, his eyes widened slightly at seeing the same man again.

"Well if it isn't the handsome officer I seen two days ago. We really have got to stop meeting like this." He said with a smirk, causing the other to step back slightly.

"Maybe if you would stop stealing from places we wouldn't have to!" Alfred snapped at the other, causing the other to chuckle.

"Yes I guess your right about that, but I don't think I will. But I'm surprised, you don't have a gun pointed at me today. Isn't that always how robberies go, Cops show up, points there guns around and apprehends the bad guys?" he said with a hint of sour in his voice, but Alfred didn't notice.

"I didn't really have time to get the gun ready since I just saw you out of the blue on top of a freaking Applebee's! I mean seriously, you couldn't have just used the money you stole barely even two days ago!"

"Well you see about that, I already used all of it…"

Alfred's eyes widened in disbelief "You already spent it all!"

"Well I wouldn't exactly say _spent_ it all…but anyways I should be going, it was nice to see you again Mr. Copper." The blond tried to turn away but a hand caught his shoulder.

"And what makes you think I'll just let you go again? I'm not that pathetic! What makes scum like you think you can just rob a place!"

"You know, am I really scum, you don't know why I do this." He said with slight sadness in his voice, though Alfred still didn't notice. Slowly he turned back to the other with narrowed eyes, though Alfred could tell he was still amused by the whole situation, sadness gone.

"You probably just do this because you want to use it on yourself, you just want a free lunch. Nothing new I see here." Alfred said with a shrug.

"Ah, is that what you think? Well then I guess I can't really change that, though I wish I could. Now if you would please let me go, I'll be on my way." The man said, trying to shrug off the others hand, but Alfred held on tight.

"Didn't you hear what I said? I'm not just going to let you go. Now if you would drop the bag and put your hands behind your back that would help loads." Alfred said calmly, though there was anger clearly heard in his voice.

"Aw here we go again with the handcuffs, you know this is neither the time nor the place to be getting kinky." He said with a suggestive tone to his voice. He started to smirk when he saw a blush coming to the cops face.

"N-now you know that is not even what's happening here! I'm trying to arrest you damn it!" The young blond said trying to will down his blush from his face.

"So you say your not going to let me go?" The man said a smirk still playing at his lips.

"Are you deaf or something? You are coming with me back to the station."

"You know you should reconsider that." The green eyed man said leaning in slightly so their faces were close together. Alfred though quickly pulled their faces away. Though the other blond wasn't having any of that, he put down the bag and pushed Alfred up to the wall. All through this Alfred didn't let his grip fall off the other man.

"I'm just going to have to make you let go then." he purred into the Americans ear, sending shiver down his spine.

"And how do you think yo-" Alfred was cut off by soft but firm lips that had just made contact with his. He gasped, shocked at what was happening, his eyes wide. He tried to pull away but the other held firm.

Using Alfred's gasp, he stuck his tongue into his mouth, exploring his wet cavern, making the blue eyed man moan. Somewhere in this time Alfred closed his eyes letting himself be dominated by the other man, his hands going to his hair pulling slightly. The kiss felt amazing, it sent shivers all throughout his body.

When they separated there was a trail of saliva connecting their lips, Alfred just looked up at the other man dazed, his hands only holding slightly to the mans hair. He licked his lips, disconnecting the saliva that was still connecting them. He looked down at him as though he was pray to him, a glint to his beautiful emerald eyes.

.Some part of his mind was wishing that it didn't have to end, but another part was screaming at him to apprehend the man.

"As much as I would love to finish this, I really must be going." With one last kiss to Alfred's sweet lips, the man turned, picked up the bag again, and fled to the back room that lead to the ceilings opening, his route of escape.

It took a minute for Alfred to realize what had just happened and he quickly followed were the man just left to the back room. When he got there the man was already long gone, disappeared.

"Alfred? Were are you?" That was Ludwig's voice calling for him. _Man were the hell was he when I was getting molested… _Alfred thought bitterly.

Alfred went back into the kitchen, the German finally coming into his sight. Catching sight of the American Ludwig ran over to him, checking over him.

"Alfred what happened, were did that man go? …Alfred?" Alfred just stared at Ludwig for a minute, still thinking about what had just happened. H-he had just let the other kiss him, and for some reason he didn't care.

Alfred turned to Ludwig again, seeing the worry in his eyes, he tried to offer the other a smile, but it turned out bitter.

"He got away."

**A/n: I'm kinda shocked that I got another chapter up in one day. Don't always be expecting me to update this fast all the time, I usually don't do it this fast ^^' but I'll try to update faster then what I have been doing with my other stories.**

**IMPORTANT!: I've been thinking about doing a story for Halloween. Naturally it'll be USUK or UKUS, and I was planning on making the plot have slender man in it! If you guys would want to read this you should PM me or leave me a review with your answer. If I see a lot of people are interested I'll get started on the story. That's all, end of message. XD**

**Review please, I always love reading how you guys feel about the story. (reviews make me update faster to, hint hint :D)**


	3. Escapes and sorrow

**I would like to thank all of you that have reviewed/followed/favorited my story, you don't know how happy you all make me. ^.^**

**So for all of you wonderful people, here's a new little chappy from me! Enjoy~**

"So, what you mean to say is, you let him get away _again?"_ The chief, Ivan, said calmly though his voice was shaking. When Alfred thought about telling his boss, he expected him to go off right off the bat, like he did last time, but this didn't seem to be the case.

"W-well I did, but I tried my hardest and I was really close to getting him and-"

"Well if you tried your hardest, then why isn't that criminal here in front of me?" He said voice rising, glaring harshly down at the American, making him step back slightly.

"Because he tricked me and then got away! He took a cheap shot!"

"Oh really? Then tell me, exactly what did he do to get away from you _hero_?" Ivan said the last word with as much sarcasm as he could muster. Alfred flushed at the thought of telling his boss exactly what had happened, and little from anger at the sarcasm in his voice.

"I-I would rather not say…" He said looking away from his boss's angered eyes, trying to hide his blush.

"Did I not warn you to not let him get away the next time? And here you are again saying the exact same thing from last time! Jones I will admit, you are a good officer. But your not a great officer, and if I let you go I wouldn't be troubled about it." He said the last part harshly, this caused Alfred's head to jerk up and stare back into his boss's angry eyes again.

"But you can't fire me! I'm a damn good worker here!" Alfred yelled back, making Ivan slit his eyes, glaring darkly.

"Please tell me you are _not_ talking back to your commanding officer Jones. Because trust me you will not like it if you were." The Russian said in a sickeningly sweet voice, which made Alfred want to run out then and there, but made himself stay for the sake of his job.

"Sorry sir, but he's slippery, he knows what he's doing. At the bank he took on three bodyguards by himself with no weapon!"

"I still expect my workers to be exceptional, able to take anyone out. And today you just proved to be a weak vassal under my command. If you don't shape up you will be out next time. You may think you can't be replaced but trust me, you can. I'm done with this conversation, you are dismissed." Ivan said walking back to his desk setting down and starting on his paperwork.

Alfred, seeing nothing left to say, walked out of the room with a frown plastered on his face. He walked out back to the lobby of the station. Once he got there he was soon bombarded with questions from Ludwig, who arrived as soon as he saw the other blond.

"Alfred what happened? He didn't fire you did he?"

"No he didn't fire me, but he said if I mess up one more time that I'm on my way out the door."

"You didn't exactly tell me what happened back at the restaurant. Exactly how did he get away from you? Your not exactly the easiest officer to get away from…" Back at the restaurant, Alfred refused to talk to the other on the way back to the station. Usually the American would not shut up, even for a second. So him suddenly not talking made the German worry.

"Do I really have to answer that question." Alfred whined with a blush coming to his face once again from having to rethink about the encounter. Ludwig looked at him with confusion for a second before shrugging and didn't question him anymore.

"Fine, but you better not let him get away if you see him again, Ivan always keeps his promises." He warned, seriousness covering his face. Alfred nodded.

"Alright, third times the charm right? No matter, what I'll get him in a jail cell." hope covered his voice, but for some reason the words tasted bitter in his mouth.

"Good I hope so, for your sake." With that Ludwig turned with one last wave to his friend, and walked off out the door of the building.

Looking to the clock, he saw that his shift ended eight minutes ago. Sighing he turned to the clock out desk. _Man, Ivan made me late getting off again!_

When Alfred went into work, he was extremely tired. The last few nights he couldn't sleep a wink, he kept being woken up by…dreams. Those dreams involving a certain sexy brit that hasn't left his mind since there first encounter. It's like his mind wanted to torture him! It has been about a week and a half since he saw the green eyed burglar, and for some reason he wouldn't leave his mind.

He slowly made his way to the check in desk, but was cut off by Toris.

"Alfred what's wrong you look awful." Toris said with worry covering his features.

"Don't worry, I just didn't get enough sleep last night, I kept having these…nightmares."

"What did you do, watch scary movies again? You know how you get when you watch those kind of movies." he said disapprovingly towards his friend.

"Yeah, I should really stop that. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check in before the chief decides to fire me over being late." Alfred said not really feeling like arguing over his beloved scary movies, or having to explain his dreams to Toris.

He quickly checked in, he was about a hair close to being late again. With a small sigh of relief, he went over to the front desk to receive his assignment for the day. When he got there he was about to ask about his job, but was cut off by the radio that was placed on top of the desk.

"There is a robbery in progress down at the local Kmart, the culprit is dressed in all black and has messy blond hair. He has no weapon but is putting up a fight with the guards, and is classified as dangerous. There seems to be no cops at the scene yet-"

Alfred didn't get to hear the rest of the message as Ivan took that moment to step out of his office. "Jones, get down to that store now and stop him. Fail and, well lets just say you better not fail. Now quickly bring him back before he escapes." Ivan ordered from across the room. _How the hell did he…oh whatever. I still say he's a demon._

Not wasting any more time, Alfred ran to the cars out in the garage, getting there in less then a minute. His whole job was on the line for this, and if he messed there was no guarantee he will still have a job after today.

The last thought made him quickly start the car and head out into the roads, sirens blaring. The Kmart was relatively close to the station, about a five minute drive, but with the speed Alfred was going he made it there in two.

He could see people waiting outside looking at the building with fearful eyes. That was the indication that the blond was still here, and probably robbing the place blind. Alfred quickly grabbed his gun, and made his way to the front of the building, having to nudge a few people out of the way to get though the crowd and up to the front..

He could see a few guards at the entrance, probably waiting for the thief to come and grab him before he could escape. Though with the couple of encounters he has seen the outlaw, he wouldn't just go out the front door.

The officer walked over to them to ask if they would know were the man would be.

"When we first heard from our fellow workers they said he was in the clothing section, but I'm not sure he will still be there." The burly guard said, nodding his head to the direction of the clothes. Alfred quickly nodded and ran over towards the clothes.

He went around the aisles of adult clothes, but didn't see any sign of the masked man. He walked around a little bit longer, and he was about to look in another part of the store, until he heard rustling from the clothes in the children section.

Lifting his gun up, he quietly made his way to the end of the shelf he was by and looked over the corner of it. He saw the brit stuffing children clothes into what looked like a garbage bag. Though it only took a second before the blond stopped putting clothes in the bag altogether. Alfred wondered why he stopped until he spoke.

"You know, why are you always the one to come and try to arrest me? Are you my handsome but creepy stalker?" He said in a mocking tone and turned and looked back at Alfred.

"How did you know I was here! I didn't even make a sound!" The blue eyed man said with his mouth slightly open in astonishment.

"Sorry to tell you love, but you don't exactly have the lightest footsteps." He smirked and started to tie up the bag with the stolen clothes in it.

Alfred stepped out into full view of the man, gun pointing at the other. Though, just like their first encounter, he didn't look impressed.

"Oh again with the gun pointing, and here I thought we got to like each other very well last time…" He said sounding disappointed, but Alfred could tell he was just acting, though this didn't stop him from getting a small red tint to his cheeks.

"Put your hands up and start coming over here, slowly!" he ordered choosing to ignore that last comment for his sanity.

"You should know already that I don't use weapons from the last two times, so why should I put my hands up. It may seem hard to believe, but I don't want to hurt anyone."

"A lot of criminals say that, but the next thing we officers know, they pull out a gun and start shooting everyone in sight. "

"Yes, but I'm not like that. But if you want to come over here and frisk me, you can." He said in a suggestive tone, making Alfred shiver slightly at the thought of his hands roaming the others body and-

Shaking his head he just frowned even more. "I'll say this again, put your hands up and step over here slowly." He said a little harshly, though the other just looked at him with a blank expression.

"As much as I would like to go with you and get locked up, I will have to decline. Now if this discussion is over I'll be going." The blond started walking off with the bag in hand before making a sudden stop. Alfred took a shot at him, that missed him by a hairs length.

"I'm not playing around, drop the bag." Alfred growled, looking over at the smaller man with harsh eyes.

"Why are you so insistent on trying to capture me?" He said not dropping the bag but turned to look at Alfred again with more serious eyes.

"Shouldn't that be obvious? I'm trying to stop another innocent store from being robbed by someone who clearly doesn't give a damn about the law. "

"Ah I see, you think I don't care that I'm breaking the law? That I am just doing this for some sort of sick thrill? Well your wrong, I know what I'm doing, yes, but that doesn't mean I don't give a damn." He said looking more harshly at the officer that was still pointing his gun at him.

"Then why do it?! Why must you put yourself and others in danger?"

"Maybe it's the only thing I can turn to, did you ever think about that? Maybe I'm doing it for a greater cause, that other people don't give a damn about every fucking day!" He yelled, his face getting red with anger. And he knew that the other people in the store could probably hear him, but he couldn't get himself to care.

Alfred looked a little taken back by the mans sudden change of behavior, but went on anyway. "How could stealing help people, all it does is makes the economy worse and frightens the people on the scene of the crime."

Shaking his head, the masked man started to turn again and walk away. Alfred, shocked, raised his gun again about to take another shoot.

"Take another step and I'll shoot, I'm not saying an empty threat this time."

"I wish you officers wouldn't act all high and mighty. I wish I could make you see what desperately needs to be seen." He said with sadness laced in his voice.

Before Alfred knew what happened, the man drew out a small ball from his pocket and threw it at the ground. As soon as it made contact with the floor, smoke filled the store. Alfred couldn't see a thing, but he strained his eyes to see if he could make out the figure of the man but coming up with nothing.

He tried to feel his way around the store, but this only made him stumble over the shelves of the store. The smoke started to clear up enough for him to see about two minutes later. He quickly made his way to the entrance, hoping the guards was able to catch the masked villain.

However as soon as he got to the entrance he saw that the two men now laid unconscious on the floor. He ground his teeth together, and ran out the doors. He looked all around for the man he had seen not even five minutes ago.

His bright blue eyes scanned everywhere even the sky for one little sign of the man, but came up with nothing. Truth be told, he had no idea what to do now, he had just let him get away again. Feeling hopeless, he made his way to the car, walking closer and closer to his inevitable fate.

As soon as he got to the station, Toris and Ludwig walked over to him quickly.

"A-Alfred where is he, didn't you catch him?"

"Ja, you did apprehend him, didn't you?"

For some reason Alfred couldn't make himself look up at his friends. He didn't want to have to see the worried looks on their faces, or the disappointment.

Still not looking up, he started to walk over to his boss's office. Though he didn't make it that far since Ivan made his way out of his office at that exact moment.

"Jones, where is he? You didn't fail this time did you, da?" He said, though he already knew the answer to that question.

Alfred finally looked up and met his chiefs cold purple eyes. "No, sir, I didn't."

Ivan made a 'tch' sound and made his way over to the blond. "Well you know what happens now, da?"

"Please sir, if you could just-"

"No more chances Jones, your fired." As soon as the words were uttered from his mouth, Alfred just wanted to drop to the floor and disappear.

**A/n: I feel really bad about firing Alfred. But It had to happen for the plot. The next chapter is one that I have been really itching to type up ever since I started this story. I can't wait!**

**I have a poll up about the next story I should start. If all of you wonderful readers could go and vote that would make me a very happy writer. XD**

**I might not get another chapter written for awhile. I'm going to be going to Florida for about a week, and I won't have my computer. So I'll go ahead and say sorry for the delay that will inevitably happen. **

**Thanks for reading and please review, they tell me I'm doing something right! (and yes, I am totally a review whore :D)**


	4. Letting it out

**A/n: sorry it took so long, but it's finally up XD Before you all start reading I would like to thank SakuraMoriChan for being my beta on the story! Thanks to her maybe my stories won't suck so badly in grammar ^^' anyways you can read now :D**

After Alfred got over the shock of being fired he began to gather all of his things from his office, which really wasn't all that much. He had a few shirts, some sunglasses, and a half eaten burger to his name. When he finished collecting all of his things, he walked out of his office, towards the doors of the exit.

As he left, he could see Toris and Ludwig watching him go with saddened faces. He tried to give them a weak smile, but he couldn't do it. Instead, he gave them a small wave and went out the door, leaving his job behind.

Alfred got home and instantly fell into a slump. For the next few days he didn't know what to do with his life. The fact losing his job had affected him so much surprised him.

Everything that had gone wrong kept running through his head. He just couldn't stop wondering about the masked man he encountered who made him lose his job. He had said something about doing it for a greater cause? Alfred tried to get his mind around what that meant, but thinking about it only made him more depressed.

Instead of thinking about his old job, he just resorted to playing games and watching TV. Soon, though, he started thinking about getting a new job. Sure, he lost his old one, but why not get another?

With this in mind he went out for the day and started asking around and filling out applications. It seemed that no one was hiring because of the economy. Even his beloved McDonalds wouldn't accept him!

With his head hung low, he just went back to watching TV and playing games. He had enough money saved up so he didn't need a job too badly. Toris and Ludwig had called him a couple times to see how he was doing. Alfred had lied, of course, and said everything was okay and they didn't have to worry. He really did want to tell someone about his problems, but he couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

After a certain conversation with Ludwig, he decided he wanted to go out for a change and get a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The German said that he had spotted the crook a couple times since Alfred left. Alfred asked if the man had talked to him, but Ludwig said he only made a quick escape when he saw the police. This piece of information shocked him slightly. That man had always taunted the blond and acted like he was trying to seduce him. Now it seemed he didn't want anything to do with police.

He shook his head out of his reverie and grabbed his coat before walking out the door for the coffee he promised himself.

As soon as he got there, he ordered a coffee with loads of sugar and cream. The waitress knew him pretty well so she knew exactly the way he liked it. Once his order was ready, he turned and looked to see if there was a free table anywhere, but found none.

Sighing, he went around to find a seat and saw one table was occupied by a single man. He was reading the newspaper and had some kind of drink. Alfred walked over and set his cup on the table, clearing his throat to get the man's attention.

The man looked up, and Alfred was surprised by his forest green eyes. For some reason, they looked familiar. (He also noticed the man's giant eyebrows. Seriously, those things were huge! Not that it made him less attractive or anything; Alfred actually liked them…)

The man's eyes seemed to widen for a moment, but this was quickly replaced by a calm expression. Alfred wondered if he had imagined it.

Alfred didn't stop staring until the blond finally said, "Are you just going to keep staring at me, or is there actually a reason you're disrupting my reading?" Alfred could have sworn he heard a slight uneasiness to the stranger's voice (and it was British! Alfred couldn't help but feel he had heard his voice before…). But what would he be worried about? So what if he was staring and not saying anything and— Okay, Alfred understood why.

Alfred gave the man a small apologetic smile and took out a seat. "Uh, you don't mind if I sit here, do you?" he asked awkwardly. The man stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't see why not," he said with a sigh. Alfred sat down with his coffee.

When Alfred got his coffee he would usually ask the cashier for it not to have a lid. The man on the other side stared at Alfred's drink with a look of distaste.

"What the bloody hell are you drinking?"

Taken aback by the question, he quickly looked down at his drink and then back up at the stranger. "Uh, coffee?"

"Isn't coffee supposed to be black? Why is it a brownish color?"

"I guess it's because I put a lot of sugar and cream in."

"That's not coffee, that's syrup."

Alfred looked at him strangely and glanced down at his cup. As if reading his mind, the man spoke again.

"I call it syrup because coffee isn't supposed to have all of that in it," he clarified, though Alfred still thought he was kind of a weirdo.

"Uh, right. It just tastes better this way." The big browed man shrugged and went back to reading, ending the conversation. Alfred looked at his drink and took a small sip. They stayed silent for a while, until the quiet got too unbearable for Alfred. He was the type of person who didn't like saying nothing for too long.

"So, uh…how's life?" Alfred asked. The man just looked at him with a confused expression. Alfred did know how stupid the question sounded, but he had to start a conversation somewhere, right?

"Disappointing," the man finally said. Okay, Alfred had not been expecting that answer. He stared at him awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh…sorry?"

"Of course you are," he said, his voice sounding rather harsh.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that people say sorry when they don't really mean it. You don't even know what's wrong with my life, so how could you possibly be sorry?" Okay, so he kinda had a point there. Alfred couldn't feel sorry for something he didn't know about.

"Well…maybe you could tell me what's wrong? Then maybe I would have a clue."

"Do you usually go around and ask people what's wrong with their lives? Don't you think that's a little rude?" The man didn't sound harsh this time. Surprisingly, he had a smirk on his face, looking almost amused by their conversation. His eyes had a shine to them, making a shiver go down Alfred's spine.

"W-well, I guess…" Alfred turned his gaze down to the table, a red tint coming to his cheeks. He heard the stranger chuckle, causing him to look up again reluctantly. He was surprised to see the man smiling fondly.

"That blush makes you look cute. I like it," he said, that smile never leaving his face.

"H-hey! Don't make fun of me! Who do you think you are, anyways…" Alfred cursed himself for stuttering in front of the man. No doubt he would use that to mock him…

"I actually didn't mean it as an insult. Hasn't anyone given you a compliment before?"

"Of course they have. But compliments like that usually come from women…"

"So, why don't you tell me about your life?" he asked, acting as if Alfred never even spoken.

"What is up with you? One minute you're telling me not to pry, and then the next you do the same thing!"

The other shrugged, not even fazed by the question. "I don't know. You just seem interesting, and I want to know more about you. Is that so wrong?"

Alfred looked at him, confused. He met this guy not even an hour ago and now he was asking about his life? Though there was a part of him, somewhere deep down, that wanted to tell someone about how his life had gone wrong.

He thought about this for another minute and sighed. The blond was staring at him expectantly.

"Well, I don't know why you would want to hear about me, but if you really want to…"

"I'm all ears."

"O-okay…where should I start…? Well, ever since I was little, I've always been looked at as the perfect child. My parents would always tell me how great I acted and how they loved me, like all parents do." As he said the last part, the stranger suddenly had to wipe his eyes. It was as if that sentence had hurt him somehow. But it was over as quickly as it had happened, so Alfred just ignored it and moved on.

"My father was a lawyer, and my mom just stayed at home and looked after me. One time, my father had to work on a murder case. He had to help this family who lost their son after an incident near their home. They were near the end of the case when the unexpected happened." Alfred stopped. He slowly took in a deep breathe, and then let it out. His voice trembled when he spoke next.

"My father was murdered. When they were leaving court one day, the defendant took out a gun and shot my father dead out in the parking lot. He knew he was going to jail, so I guess he wanted to kill the one responsible. That person was my dad." He stayed quiet for a minute, trying to pull himself together. He didn't even realize he was crying until a hand wiped the tears away.

"That's awful. I can't even being to imagine what you went through," the man said, his hand lightly cupping Alfred's cheek. The touch sent a small tingle through the American, and he leaned into it despite himself. Believe it or not, this was the first time he had told anyone about what happened to his father.

"It was awful. After that, my mother fell into depression. Since my father wasn't there to support us anymore, she had to start working. I remember not being able to see her much since she worked three jobs. My life was pretty much a total wreck from that point. I just kept thinking, 'If that criminal had never done that to my family then we would all still be together, all happy like we used to be. And that's what drove me to become a police officer. I wanted to be able to punish those who did wrong in their lives. I didn't want anyone else to suffer like I did.

After years of studying and working I finally succeeded in becoming an officer. I always worked as hard as I could on my jobs, little or small. My life was good after that. I was well off and had no financial problems. I had everything I wanted. That is, until I got fired…" Alfred didn't know when he did it, but he was looking down at the table again. He lifted his gaze to look at the other across the table. The man stared at him, confused.

"But…why would they fire you? You were a good officer. O-or, I would have thought you were…" he added hastily.

"Well, apparently not good enough. There these recent crimes going on, all committed by the exact same man. He would just steal random things like food or clothes that wouldn't have even fitted him. I had multiple chances to catch him. My boss gave me three tries and, as you could probably guess, I didn't catch him. So I was fired and I haven't got a new job yet. As you can see, my life hasn't been going very well these days." Alfred sighed, having finished his long life story. He looked up and was shocked to see the other's face was covered in sadness.

"Hey, you don't have to look so sad. I'll get another job. Also, it wasn't your fault."

The other man flinched. Alfred looked at him and was about to ask him what was wrong but got cut off.

"That's just stupid. They can't fire you because of that! Not everyone can catch everyone. Your boss must be a real asshole," he said, an agitated frown set on his lips.

"Yeah, he is. But I should have caught that guy. He sickens me. To think I lost my job to that criminal..."

The smaller man hesitated before answering. "Well, maybe the man had a good reason."

"Right, what kind of reason could he possibly have?"

"Well, think about what he took and what he could use it for."

Alfred thought for a second, but he only gave himself a headache. "I don't know! That's the point. He stole children clothes, food from Applebee's and some money. He could obviously use two of those things, but… I just don't get it…"

"Not everyone does things the right way, but they might think they're doing the right thing."

Alfred only looked at him with a doubtful and confused expression, clearly not getting it.

"Think of it this way. Have you ever heard of a case where someone steals money for a family member, for a hospital bill or something?"

"Well, I might have heard of a few things like that. So? What's your point?"

"They did it for their family, not for their own benefit. They didn't have the money so they had to steal it. Sure, it might not have been smart, but that was their only way out. It was the only way to help. Maybe this masked person is the same."

"How did you know he wore a mask? I never said he did."

The man paused. "I meant it as an expression; I didn't know he really did. But that's beside the point. You can't blame people for something if you don't have the full story. I can understand why you would be angry with this man, but you might want to wait before you judge him.

"I guess so…I doubt I will ever see him again, though. I'm not even an officer anymore."

"I don't know, you could. Stranger things have happened. But thanks for sharing your story with me. I'm sure everything will work out." He got to his feet and went over to Alfred's side, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Alfred blushed scarlet. The stranger started walking towards the exit, but Alfred quickly stood and grabbed him by the sleeve.

"W-wait! I never asked, what's your name?"

The man turned and gave him another fond smile, one that made a shiver run down the American's spine again. "Arthur, Arthur Kirkland. It was nice talking and getting to know you, Alfred." He gently pried Alfred's hands away and walked out the door.

Alfred was left alone, wondering only one question. How did Arthur know his name?

**A/n: I like this chapter, it has fluff in it XD anyways I hoped you all liked the chapter. **

**I have a favor for you, I have a poll up on my profile and it would be great if you could go vote. its for my next story XD **

**Anyways that's all, till next time~**


	5. Sacrifices and Seperation

**A/n: Okay, I finally got a new chapter up! Sorry I kept you waiting, Hopefully it being the longest chapter of my life will make up for the long wait. XD**

**Before the chapter starts i would like to thank all you wonderfull reviewers and followers. And thanks to all who fav. my story, It means a lot. And one special thanks to SakuraMoriChan for being my awesome beta. **

**Sorry for the delay, on with the story~**

After the weird encounter with Arthur, Alfred decided there was no real reason for him to stay any longer. He got up and went to throw away his now cold coffee, or syrup as Arthur had said less than thirty minutes ago. For some reason, a smile came to Alfred's face as soon as he thought of the blond.

Catching himself, he shook his head away from these thoughts of the practical stranger. He met this guy today and now he was acting like a love-struck school girl! Man, how cliché…

After he threw away his cup, he walked out of the exit to go back to his home. Halfway there, his head started throbbing to dully. He winced slightly from the pain. Great. The last thing I need is a headache. Also, I don't have any medicine. Fantastic… Alfred thought bitterly.

Alfred sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Well, since I'm near the drug store I might as well get some. He turned back the way he came and headed down the street to the store he just passed.

It took about five minutes to get to the drug store. Once there, he went to the counter and rang the little bell to get the desk person's attention. It didn't take long for the women to come and ask what he needed.

He opened his mouth to answer, but he stopped when he saw a look of horror cross her face. Alfred blinked, his eyebrows furrowed. He then noticed that she wasn't even looking at him; she was staring at the door he had entered through a minute ago.

Slowly, he turned towards the door to see what had spooked the woman so much. What he saw was like a smack in the face. There, standing in the doorway, was none other than the masked man who had cost him his job. The source of all his problems.

Alfred's mouth dropped at the sight of the thief, the man he could never seem to hate no matter what he did…

The blond didn't seem to notice him until he started running up to the counter. He looked troubled by something, his eyes filled with worry. He was about to reach the counter where the woman stood behind Alfred, but he stopped. He had finally seen Alfred, and they both looked equally as shocked. His mouth had fallen open slightly.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" the man said, dressed in his usual black attire.

"I could ask you the same thing. Haven't you caused enough problems already?" Alfred said, shocked at the coldness in his own voice. The messy haired blond flinched at the harsh words. But that didn't make sense. Why did he suddenly care about what he thought?

Regaining his bearings, the masked man walked up to the counter, not bothering to answer Alfred's question. He pushed Alfred away and looked at the woman urgently.

"I need medicine, now. I'm going to go get it myself, and don't even think about calling the cops. Even if you do it wouldn't matter. Just stay here," he ordered, not waiting for a reply. He quickly jumped over the counter and ran to the side and took off to the back.

Alfred just stared in shock for a moment until he realized what was really happening. The man was trying to steal from yet another store. Red hot rage spread through Alfred as he went to the door that led to the back of the store, going to catch up to the man.

The back of the store was not as big as he had first thought. It was a small room with shelves around the walls, all packed with medication. Alfred saw the soon to be thief search for the medicine he was looking for. He went through the different bottles with such urgency that Alfred was tempted to ask what was wrong. But why should he? This man had caused so much trouble in such a small amount of time, why should Alfred give a damn?

He cleared his throat, making the other look at him. "What do you think you're doing? You're trying to steal in front of me again?" he said, his voice still very bitter.

"Why should you even care? You don't have a job anymore. Now, if you would please let me get what I need I will be on my way and you can just act like this never happened, okay?" The man barely glanced at him before going back to the bottles.  
"Why shouldn't I care?! What the hell gives you the right to tell me how to feel! It was thanks to people like you that I lost my family!" Alfred felt like he was burning with rage. He just wanted to go right up and beat the living hell out of the man.

The other flinched as soon as the words left Alfred's mouth, which shocked Alfred. Why would that upset him?

"I'm sorry for your family, I truly am, but I don't have a choice. I have to do this." The man turned and looked at Alfred with sad, pitying eyes. "There's no other way for me to do good like you can. I truly am sorry," he said, slowly walking towards Alfred. Alfred could see was holding a bottle of medicine, the one he had planned to take off and steal.

The masked man was about a foot away, almost touching him. He slowly leaned in and kissed Alfred's cheek, softly brushing his hair away. Alfred was so stunned by the intimate action that he couldn't move. He could feel tiny sparks of electricity from the gentle touch. He was so close, Alfred could even smell his sweet scent. He smelled of tea, surprisingly.

The bushy blond stepped away and looked at Alfred, a sort of longing in his eyes. He suddenly started running towards the door, making a quick getaway. Alfred stood there for a second, dazed, before he realized what had happened with a jolt of surprise.

Alfred ran for the lobby of the small building, and he could see that the man was escaping through the door. He quickly charged for the door and ran right after him. Alfred was going to get this man, even if it killed him. Even if he didn't want to…

Shaking away the thought, he quickly pulled out his phone and went to the second number on his contacts. It picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Toris, it's me. I need you to get down here now. I've got that thief in my sight and I'm following him."

"Wait, I-I don't understand. Where are you?"

"I'm on thirty-fifth street, but we're still moving."

"Alright. I'll get a car and try to meet you pronto, but you still need to stay on the phone so I'll know where you end up."

"Can do," Alfred said. Up ahead, the man took a turn into a back ally. Why would he go there? That ally was a dead-end.

"Toris, it looks like he's going into the back ally right across from the O'Malley supermarket, and we both know that's a dead-end. You can just go ahead and meet me there." He hung up, not waiting for his friend to answer or argue. All he wanted was to catch that man, and it looked like he was finally going to.

Alfred could see that the blond had taken the last turn in the ally. He picked up his pace and turned and was shocked by the sight before him. He stared. There were little kids everywhere, all around five to ten years old. They had all come running to the man clad in black, wide smiles on their faces.

Alfred also noticed they were all dirty from head to toe. The clothes they wore looked new, though all of their shoes were worn. Hell, some of them weren't even wearing shoes! How weird. They all seemed like they were homeless, but then how did they have new looking clothes?

"It's so good to see you're back!" one of the little girls said, jumping up and down. She was clearly excited to see the man had returned.

"It's good to see you all, too. How is Millie doing? Has she gotten worse?" The green eyed man's voice was coated in worry. The children seemed to pale slightly at the question.

"She's still breathing really hard, and some of the others seem to be catching what she has." The masked man looked up and saw someone else come towards him. This black haired man had stepped out of a door in the ally way. He looks Asian, Alfred noticed.

A frown formed on the caped man's face. "That's not good. If all the children get her illness this medicine won't be enough…"

Alfred's eyes widened. The medicine…was for the children? Suddenly, Alfred's mind flashed back to a previous conversation he had had with the blond man.

"Ah, I see, you think I don't care that I'm breaking the law? That I am just doing this for some sort of sick thrill? Well, you're wrong. I know what I'm doing, yes, but that doesn't mean I don't give a damn."

"Then why do it?! Why must you put yourself and others in danger?"

"Maybe it's the only thing I can turn to—did you ever think about that? Maybe I'm doing it for a greater cause that other people don't give a damn about every f*** day!"

Finally, the talk they had made sense! But why couldn't he have just gone and bought the medicine? It wasn't like he had to steal. If he didn't have the money, he could have got a job or something…

"Yes. We're probably way in over our heads, Arthur. You're eventually going to get caught," the Asian man said, sounding very worried.

Alfred was snapped out of his thoughts by the black haired man's statement. Wait, did he just call the man 'Arthur'?

He didn't have much time to think about what the name really meant. He suddenly heard a gasp, and Alfred saw that one of the children was staring at him, terrified. This caused the two men to look in the same direction the small child was, and their eyes widened with shock.

To tell the truth, Alfred had no idea what to do. He had planned to chase the man and capture him, to finally bring back a little of his dignity to his old workplace, but now that they had caught him eavesdropping...Any form of a plan seemed to have vanished from his brain.

"Shit…How long have you been standing there?" The blond wasn't even trying to hide the worry and fear in his voice.

"Long enough. So that's why you steal? You try and help children with no homes?" Alfred asked, and the man bit his lip, trying to think of a reply. He seemed too shocked by the whole situation.

Alfred was about to ask something else when the sirens started. Police sirens, to be exact. The two adults opposite Alfred stared at each other, panic clear on their faces.

"Kiku, you get back inside. If they see you with me they might think you're an accomplice.

"But Arth—"

"Don't argue. Just go. And if anything happens to me, you have to take care of the children," he said quickly, urgency in his voice.

The man, Kiku, seemed to hesitate at first, but then he nodded and quickly fled back into the building. The blond looked at Alfred with a mix of anger and fear.

"Did you really have to call for back up?!" he yelled, causing the children around him to flinch at the volume of his voice, and out of their fear.

Alfred couldn't think of anything to say to the furious blond. At first, he had been angry at other for thinking he could just steal what he wanted, but now Alfred could see that wasn't it at all. Just like he had said so long ago…

He could hear footsteps rushing towards them now. Alfred didn't know what to think anymore. The man he had thought was bad was actually doing something right, in his own way. There was another question nagging at his mind, however, one that had first appeared when he heard the Asian man say that name.

"That man, Kiku…He said your name is Arthur..."

The thief, no, Arthur, nodded hesitantly, though he still looked angry. His expression also held a new emotion, but Alfred couldn't tell what it was.

"Then, does that mean you're—"

"Alright, put your hands in the air! Do it, or we will be forced to open fire!" a booming voice ordered from behind them. Alfred turned and saw Toris and Ludwig, but they were not the ones who had spoken. Between them was a tall man with silver hair and purple eyes. Ivan…

Alfred looked back at Arthur, and he was shocked to see him holding his arms up just like he was ordered. The children around him were clinging to him for dear life. The horror on their faces stabbed Alfred with guilt. If he hadn't called Toris, then…

"Good. Now step over here, nice and slowly. It's time you were locked up," Ivan said, a sinister look on his face.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but you have to help these children. Without help, they won't be able to make it through the year. Please." Now he was begging. What happened to man who seemingly had no fear of the police?

"I don't see how that is any of my concern. Now, get over here." Ivan's command was cold.

"It should be your concern! These are your citizens! One of them is already deathly sick; if she doesn't get help soon…"

"I'm not going to ask again—"

"Please! You can't just let these children die!" he yelled, his voice pleading. Alfred could have sworn he saw Arthur's eyes shine with tears. He couldn't blame him, really. Everything he had worked for, stealing the clothes, food and medicine, could have all been for nothing.

"Fine, if you won't come willingly… Toris, Ludwig, apprehend him," Ivan ordered. Ludwig and Toris stepped forward, towards the blond, causing Arthur to step away.

"How typical. All of you officers are the same! You act like your all high and mighty, like you're a god, but when it comes to really helping people you just turn your backs on them!" Arthur screamed, tears finally spilling.

The two officers grabbed him, both holding each arm. The children were lightly pushed aside to make them let go of Arthur. An evil smirk came to Ivan's face as he walked over to the smaller man. He looked Arthur over as though he was a bug. Before Arthur could stop him, Ivan snatched the medicine he was clutching. His eyes widened in shock and despair.

"No! The children need that medicine! They'll all die if they don't get it!" He tried to pull away from the officers, but they were holding him in a vicelike grip. Their expressions betrayed their guilt.

"Now, like I said before, why should I care? They're not my children." Ivan's smirk grew into a full-on crazed smile. This statement only caused Arthur to struggle more, but he still couldn't get away.

"You should just give up. Did you really think you could help these children? You can barely help yourself. You should have known you could never make a difference," Ivan said icily. Arthur lowered his head, staring at the ground and hiding his face from the chief. From the way his body trembled, Alfred could tell he was still crying.

Alfred felt another surge of rage run through him, but it wasn't caused by the masked man this time. He had worked under Ivan for years, and now the Russian was finally showing his true colors.

Ivan didn't look happy when the man looked away from him. He quickly grabbed his face and forced it upwards. The blond's eyes widened with shock, and he gave a little gasp. Ivan looked at him hatefully. He quickly grabbed the sides of the concealing mask and tore it away, fully revealing the green eyed man's face for the first time.

Alfred stared at the other's face. He had not wanted to believe that this man was really the same 'stranger' he had met today, but clearly it was true. Everything was the same: his eyes, the accent, those eyebrows... It was the same face he had let all of his feelings out to…

A wash of emotions took over him—sorrow, guilt, shock, rage. He just wished he could somehow make this all go away. It was all too much to handle. Part of him wanted to go and help the criminal, but another part just wanted to stay on the side-lines, to finally get his old life back, back before the man in front of him had ever walked into his life.

Arthur looked at Alfred, and emerald met with sapphire. Alfred swallowed down a lump in his throat. He could see all the emotions on Arthur's face. All the pain, despair and anger, and he even thought he could still see longing in those beautiful eyes.

Ivan grew even more enraged when the blond turned away from him yet again. An evil glint came to his eyes, and suddenly he kicked Arthur hard in the gut. Arthur coughed and spat up a small amount of blood.

Alfred's eyes widened. Arthur wasn't even struggling anymore, but Ivan hurt him regardless. The American officially had enough of watching. It was time he took some action.

"Ivan, what the hell do you think you're doing?! You can't just beat him while he's defenceless! He wasn't even fighting!" Alfred seethed, quickly marching over to the two. He put himself between Arthur and Ivan.

Ivan's eyes narrowed, making Alfred flinch back a little, but he didn't move. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that? I can do whatever I want to this criminal. He's broken the law. It's time for the police to take action, and if that means I have to subdue him then I will."

"But you already have! There was no reason for you to hurt him!"

"So you have feelings for it now?"

This question caught Alfred off-guard. He stared at Ivan, stunned, his mouth agape. He seemed to have trouble coming up with any formable sentences.

"So you have? No wonder you didn't catch him. You were helping him." Ivan glared daggers at both Alfred and Arthur.

"Wh-what? What the hell makes you think that? I didn't help him! I did everything in my power to try and stop him!"

"I'm sure you did. That's why you're defending him. It looks like I'm going to have to take in the traitor as well." Ivan moved towards him, and Alfred stepped back slightly.

"Wait! He didn't help me, I swear! He tried to catch me with all his might. Please, let him go. You can take me, I won't fight you anymore," Arthur exclaimed before Ivan could grab Alfred.

Alfred turned back to him in shock. Arthur was giving himself up for him. He was sticking up for him, even though he didn't have any reason to. Even Toris and Ludwig were obviously stunned.

"And why should I believe the words of scum like you? Wouldn't you want to take him in with you? This just proves I was right." Ivan glared at Arthur again.

Arthur didn't know what to say. He didn't know what could make the Russian believe him. But he had an idea to save Alfred.

"Fine. Don't believe me, but let him go. If you do, I will not say a thing about what happened here. I could easily say that you kicked me while I was down and defenceless, even with enough force to draw blood." And, as if to further explain his point, Arthur turned his head and spat out more blood from his mouth.

"And before you ask, the police may not believe me, but I have three witnesses here, more than that if you count the children. They would have no choice but to take away your job, or worse."

Ivan's eyes widened. He knew Arthur was right. He could get fired for what had happened—he could even get arrested for assault. He glared down at the green eyed blond with a more intense hatred.

"Fine, have it your way. I'll let him go. But you will not struggle, just like you promised. Understand?" Arthur nodded and turned his head towards the ground. Before Arthur looked back down, Alfred could still see the hatred and resistance in his eyes.

This was too much for Alfred. This man, who he had said he hated for making him lose his job, was now trying to stop him from getting arrested.

Alfred turned to Arthur and reached out his hand. He grabbed Arthur's face, making him look up at him.

"Why? Why are you doing this? You didn't have to do that. You could have turned Ivan in with you! You're helping out someone who was trying to stop you from saving these children," Alfred said desperately. Tears were starting to sting his eyes, but he forced them down. He needed to be strong.

"You shouldn't have to be arrested for something you didn't even do. I just didn't want you to be wrongly accused, is all…"

"So, is that really it? You're letting someone like Ivan go and run free because you don't want me to be wrongly accused?" No matter what Arthur said, Alfred still thought there was more to it than what Arthur was letting on.

The emerald eyed man hesitated before answering, "Well, there may be another factor, but that one might not really matter," Arthur said, his voice nearly a whisper. He doubted Ludwig and Toris could have heard him, and Arthur probably didn't even want Alfred to hear what he said. But he had. This statement only confused Alfred more.

"But what do you mean?! I don't understand…"

Arthur just looked at him for a second, a very small but noticeable smirk on his face. "Come on, Alfred, I know you're not that oblivious. Think about it."

Alfred was about to open his mouth and question him again, but he was interrupted by a booming voice.

"Alright, that's enough! Ludwig, Toris, take him now," Ivan said, clearly annoyed by how long the two were taking. The officers nodded, a little reluctantly, and started to walk away with Arthur. All Alfred could do was stare helplessly, still confused by Arthur's statement.

Just before they were entirely out of view, Arthur turned his head back slightly. "Alfred, if you really want to pay me back, then please help the children. I would be devastated if anything happened to them," Arthur said, his eyes pleading.

"I will do everything in my power that I can. I won't let what you worked for go to waste, even if you did go about it the wrong way," Alfred promised. A small, grateful smile came to Arthur's face, but then Ludwig tugged at his arm and made him walk again. He was finally pulled out of Alfred's sight.

Alfred's chest ached at having to see Arthur taken away. Even when he was being arrested, he still worried about everyone but himself.

"Pathetic. I don't see why he even cares about these snivelling brats." Ivan sounded disgusted. Alfred quickly turned to him, fury obvious in his eyes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! He was just doing what he had to do to help these children! Maybe he was right, maybe the police do need to get their priorities straight!"

Ivan looked at Alfred with a bored expression, and he started to walk in the direction that Toris, Ludwig and Arthur had taken.

"Say whatever you want about our police force, you don't have to worry about it. You're not even a part of it anymore. Just mind your own business," Ivan said and went out of his sight.

Alfred felt even more rage than he had ever felt before. How could he have not seen what such a horrible person Ivan was? Why didn't he believe Arthur when he said he was actually helping others rather than himself? Had he known, he might have been able to help the children sooner…and even Arthur.

The tears he had been holding back finally spilled from his eyes. Alfred didn't even know what he was crying for—was it sorrow for the children, or the fact that he had made everything worse? Maybe it was even the fact that he most likely wouldn't see Arthur again…

**A/n: The moment most of you were probably be waiting for is finally out. You finally know the reason Arthur does what he does. Took me long enough...**

**Thanks for reading and i'll try to get the next chapter up soon. R&R Please, it gives me great joy to see what you all think XD**


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